Airline travel with meat

[ROGER SANCHEZ]

Hey there guys. I just got back from my Wyoming Antelope Hunt (2nd time Hunting WY) and I made some bad decisions regarding flying with our meat. Last year, my buddy and I took our antelope to a local processor in Casper and had him Butcher and vacuum seal our meat. We then put the frozen meat in a cardboard box and checked it (we had to pay an additional $100 each for the meat box as it was the second checked bag for each of us). Everything turned out OK, but I wasn?t happy with the processor in Casper and I wanted to use a local butcher that I really like here in South Florida. So this year I quartered our antelope in the field and placed them in a cooler we bought at a Walmart in Gillette with dry ice along with the horns. The cooler ended up weighing exactly 100 pounds and we had to pay the airline $200 for the overweight baggage.
Driving isn?t an option for us since we live in Miami, FL. How do you guys handle your meat when traveling via Airplanes?
I was thinking that next year I?d bone all the meat out and try to bring it as carry on in a Yeti soft sided cooler. Thoughts? I asked 2 TSA officers if that would be OK. One told me it was fine and the other didn?t recommend doing that.
None of the processors I spoke to in Wyoming were willing to ship the meat back home for us (although that might be the most expensive option!)
Thanks so much for the insight

Roger


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[Slugz]

I'd go the route many use when fishing Alaska......which may or may not work for you.

1) debone, steak or keep in larger cuts of meat such as the muscle groups.
2) freeze and vacuum seal.
3) place in 70lb Styrofoam boxes meant for airline travel. Key is packing them tight and no space is left in the box so fill with paper rolled up or something but no air left in there is the key.


Overall the above isn't cheap and just another option.

 

[Hunter_Dan]

I have filled cheap coolers full of frozen venison and walleye, packed tightly, and then used the cooler as a checked bag. I think that is going to be your best and cheapest option. Maybe try a different processor if you were unhappy with how the first year turned out. IMO, that is the easiest and safest way to ensure your meat is going to stay frozen. When I asked the airlines, they told me not to put ice in the cooler, hence the reason i packed it as full as could be then shipped with nothing in it. My flight was MN to CA with a layover in SLC, from the time I left until I got home it was a total of almost 9 hours and everything was still frozen completely solid.

Better to be a little disappoint in the quality of the cuts than have your meat turn or go through an expensive hassle of trying to ship quarters for your local processor. just my .2 cents

 

[Don K]

I have been reading posts on multiple forums about people paying extra for a First Class ticket allowing for free bags and more weight offsetting the price of the upgraded ticket and actually saving money in the long run.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Fed Ex and UPS have shipping for perishable items but I don't know how the rates compare to airline rates.

 

[mallardsx2]

I went to California and shot a couple mako sharks with my bow years ago and upgraded my ticket to first class. Came out way ahead.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I went to California and shot a couple mako sharks with my bow years ago and upgraded my ticket to first class. Came out way ahead.

Not to change the subject, but Makos are really good eating!

 

[Slugz]

Not to change the subject, but Makos are really good eating!

yes they grill awesome!!

 

[Hunter_Dan]

I went to California and shot a couple mako sharks with my bow years ago and upgraded my ticket to first class. Came out way ahead.

Where and when did you do that? Sounds like something i would like to do

 

[Ikeepitcold]

We would freeze the meat then wrap it up in clothes. Never had a issue with thawing or TSA.

 

[mallardsx2]

Went to California several years ago.

Wow that was an expensive trip...






Not trying to hi-jack the thread.

Bottom line is that we put the meat on ice for 2 days then dumped all of the ice out to make weight while flying. Then when we landed 10 hours later the meat was still ice cold.

Great eating meat for sure.

 

[Work2hunt]

I've flown home several times with meat. In all cases I had my meat butchered, vacuum sealed, fully frozen, and packed tightly in a cardboard box. As close to the airport as I could I would place 1 or 2 lbs of dry ice in the box and seal it up. No issues ever. Checked it the same as baggage and one time brought some meat on as a carry-on.